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Thursday's Buzz:
Better Now Than Later

It's 33 days until the primary election. Do you know where your gubernatorial candidate is? We know where Nolan Karras has been. He's been answering tough questions about his relationship with Envirocare of Utah and its owner, Khosrow Semnani. And, believe it or not, I'd say he's done pretty well so far with this very hot political potato.

Karras has been candid, forthright and open in interviews on this subject in the Salt Lake Tribune and City Weekly . And his willingness to tell all resulted in pretty fair and balanced stories in the two publications. The headline and cover of City Weekly were rather sensational, but the story itself by Ted McDonough was a good piece of journalism, as was the Tribune story by Dan Harrie.

All in all, it could have been much, much worse for Karras. And given the inevitability of these stories, the timing is actually quite good for him. While it's obviously tough for the campaign to spend a couple of days on the defensive dealing with this issue, it's much better to get this story out and over early in the primary season rather than later.

The issue probably hasn't completely gone away. The Deseret Morning News has yet to weigh in, and the News is probably read by more Republican primary voters than the other outlets, and either paper could yet publish a negative editorial. The Jon Huntsman campaign has already capitalized on this issue and will likely find ways to continue to do so, including with paid advertising emphasizing Huntsman's opposition to B&C waste. So the Karras campaign can't let out a sigh of relief just yet, but the campaign has handled the situation adroitly so far.

—LaVarr Webb

Holy Moses

When we're putting The Earlybird together, half asleep in the wee hours of the morning, mistakes do manage to creep in. Several of you noticed my boo-boo Wednesday when I used the wrong word in describing hard-to-repeal tax exemptions. Connie White put it most humorously:

“Love the newsletter. I couldn't help wondering if you mis-spoke in today's story about Gov. Walker's overhaul of the tax system. "Holy cow" tax exemption—did you mean to say "sacred cow"?  Or did you mean holy cow exemptions, as in, "holy cow!  How did that get an exemption?"

—LaVarr Webb

Leadership Tip:
Abraham Lincoln on Leadership

“When the conduct of men is designed to be influenced, persuasion, kind, unassuming persuasion, should ever be adopted. It is an old and true maxim, that a “drop of honey catches more flies than a gallon of gall.” So with men. If you would win a man to your cause, first convince him that you are his sincere friend. Therein is a drop of honey that catches his heart, which, say that he will, is the great high road to his reason, and which, when once gained, you will find but little trouble in convincing his judgment of the justice of your cause, if indeed that cause really be a just one. On the contrary, assume to dictate to his judgment, or to command his action, or to mark him as one to be shunned and despised, and he will retreat within himself, close all the avenues to his head and his heart; and tho' your cause be naked truth itself...you shall no more be able to [reach] him, than to penetrate the hard shell of a tortoise with a rye straw.

“Such is a man, and so must he be understood by those who would lead him, even to his own best interest.”

—Donald T. Phillips, Lincoln on Leadership, page 39

The Earlybird is a service of Utah Policy.com

Publisher: LaVarr Webb
Editor: Bart Barker
News: Golden Webb
Subscriptions: Paul Hollingshead

Thursday, May 20, 2004

Today's Headlines

KSL
- Editorial: Governor Walker

City Weekly
- Radioactive Candidate
- Editorial: Board to Death

Daily Herald
- Santaquin begins open pre-meeting prayers

Standard-Examiner
- Delay still possible
- Lawmakers tour Legacy

Deseret Morning News
- Nevada Nuclear tests might resume
- Abortion-law glitch puts Roy duo in bind
- Firearms training debated
- W. Utah wilds area gets a green light
- Workman, staff to give up county vehicles

Salt Lake Tribune
- New wilderness area gets committee's nod
- Scrap permits, keep guns, activists urge
- In Utah County, being Democratic is no party
- Trial exemplifies democratic justice, Bennett says
- Rural road war heats up again
- Lawmakers' new quarters have a few bugs to be worked out
- Editorial: Bomb is a bust
- Editorial: Salt Palace plan

Political Calendar

Please submit calendar items to paulh@exoro.com

May 20: Richard Mack for Governor Meetup—7 pm at Jim's Family Restaurant in Sandy
May 22: Annual Teen Age Republican's scholarship fundraiser—4:30-6:30 pm at Layton's Chapel Park, 125 S. Chapel. Guest speaker Mark Shurtleff. RSVP to Candice Dallin at 774-9982.
May 25: 3rd Congressional District GOP Candidates Debate, Chris Cannon vs Matt Throckmorton, sponsored by Provo/Orem Chamber of Commerce, Daily Herald and Provo City— 7pm Provo City Council Chambers, 351 West Center Street, Provo. Contact Michael Mower, (801) 852-6103.
May 25: Green Party of Utah Roots Local Monthly Meeting—12:00 pm, Sprague Library, 1100 East, just past 2100 South, Salt Lake City. Contact: 486-2558.
May 26: WIR Annual Conference—Eccles Conference Center, Ogden.
May 26: Governor's Candidate Forum, Utah Taxpayers Association—12:00 pm, Little America Ballroom, Salt Lake City.
May 30: Iron County Tax Freedom Day Governors Forum—6:00 pm, Sharwan Smith Center Ballroom, SUU, Cedar City.
June 1: Utah Log Cabin Republicans Monthly Meeting—7:30 pm, Room N4010, Salt Lake County Building, 2001 South State Street, Salt Lake.
June 3: Washington County Republican Women meeting and luncheon—11:30 am to 1:00 pm RSVP 435-688-0777
June 3: Progressive Democratic Caucus Meeting—6:30 pm to 8:00 pm, 455 South 300 East, Suite 102, Salt Lake City. Contact: Craig Axford (801) 918-6017.
June 4: Debate between John Huntsman Jr. and Nolan Karras, Provo/Orem Chamber of Commerce and Daily Herald, First Friday Forum lunch—noon at the Provo Marriott Hotel . Lunch reservations, 379-2555; debate questions, Michael Mower 852-6103.
June 6: Gubernatorial Debate: On the Record with Chris Vanocur—KTVX Channel 4, 9:30 am, Contact Chris Vanocur, (801) 975-4444.
June 10, 11: Government Affairs Advisory Committee of the Salt Lake Chamber—11am, Eccles Board Room, Salt Lake Chamber.
June 12: Davis County Democrats No-Host Breakfast—8:30 am to 10:00 am, Joanie's Restaurant, 286 North 400 West, Kaysville. Contact: Richard Watson (801) 292-6772.
June 13: Gubernatorial Debate: Take Two with Rod Decker—Live on KUTV Channel 2 at 5:30 pm, Contact Rod Decker, (801) 973-3000.
June 14: Lt. Governor Debate: KCSG and Bonneville Radio in St. George—Live at 7:00 pm, Contact: Dan Matheson, (435) 467-7452
June 15: Gubernatorial Debate: KCSG and Bonneville Radio in St. George—Live at 7:00 pm, Contact: Dan Matheson, (435) 467-7452.
June 21: Gubernatorial Debate: KUED Channel 7—Live at 9:00 pm.
June 22: Utah Primary Election—7:00 am to 8:00 pm.
June 22: Green Party of Utah Roots Local Monthly Meeting—12:00 pm, Sprague Library, 1100 East, just past 2100 South, Salt Lake City. Contact: 486-2558.
June 24: Legislative Golf Tournament—Thanksgiving Point. 533-9777.
June 26: Republican Central Committee Meeting.
June 27: Green Party of Utah Roots Local Monthly Meeting—12:00 pm, Sprague Library, 1100 East, just past 2100 South, Salt Lake City. Contact: 486-2558.
July 19-23: National Conference of State Legislatures— Salt Lake City

See the entire calendar.